I lived through these times and what you describe is some alternative timeline to mine. Phones that could last several days of active use on a single charge had replaceable batteries with similar lifespan to those today and I don't recall anyone around me owning spare batteries to swap on-the-go. In fact, my Nokia 3410 only got its battery replaced in 2018 when I dug it out of the drawer (and I wasn't even its first owner in the family back in the day). Today's smartphones need battery replacement much sooner as they draw and charge with much more current and burn through the cycles faster.